Intuitive Hearts
by AYangThang
Summary: Pyrrha's destined to be an champion fighter. Weiss aspires to grasp hold of her family's company. Ruby wishes to follow her mother's footsteps. Blake wants to further the cause for Faunus rights. With graduation fast approaching, and adulthood weighing down heavily on their shoulders, eventually compromises have to be made. This is their journey. (Disregards Late Vol 3 and Vol 4)
1. Chapter 1

**Intuitive Hearts**

 _The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life, by altering his attitude. –William James_

Was it bad habit or monotony? At this point, were either of those things truly any different? Likely not, but if they were, she'd never be able to find the distinction.

The third sink on the left side had a broken faucet. She was told this as a first year by an upperclassmen and she had taken the warning to heart. Continuing to pass the information along as the years went by. Some people might have complained that there was no way to summon hot water from the squeaky stainless steel, but Pyrrha didn't care.

She splashed the cold fluid over her face, time, and time again. Day in and day out. An old, well-practiced routine. Everything was that way.

From the weekly phone call home to her parents every Sunday night, to the groggy early mornings in the five days that followed. Life as a student had grown dull, lacking the same sense of adventure it used to have. Going into Vale on a lazy Saturday was such a rare thing, she'd forgotten what take-out tasted like. Huntsmen were made of more than their expertise in battle, and Beacon was putting them to the final test.

A match of endurance and willpower.

Having a deep wealth of geographic and political knowledge were requirements too. Maps were beat into them by memorization. Debates on world issues staged over and over, relentlessly pounding information into their heads. Combat drills had taken a sharp lurch towards utilitarian, weeding out true warriors from the mere hobbyists. The matches didn't follow the rulebook anymore, the fights were bloody, the risks entirely real. Teamwork came at a premium. Long sleepless nights whittled down the last scraps of faith that the students clung onto.

When Pyrrha entered Beacon as a first year student, she joined with over two-hundred fellow students, gathered together from all across Remnant. As a Beacon fourth year, one month away from graduation, she stood among a chosen few. In her grade, there were eight teams, thirty-two students remaining. The rest of the teams had either dropped out or were forcibly being held back a grade. Students could not graduate without their team.

That was the rule of Beacon.

Wet palms braced against the white porcelain as she sighed deeply, mind thick and heavy with exhaustion. On her left, a manila envelope held all of the possibilities for her future. Recruitment advertisements for Ironwood's prestigious military, job offerings, long term mission assignments. It all coagulated in her brain like mush.

Atop it all, a handwritten letter by Ozpin himself. The headmaster invited her to personally become a huntress under his command. None of the others in JNPR received such a letter, and so Pyrrha knew she was going to have to turn down the position. It was the right thing to do.

"You got one too?" Ruby said softly as she cracked the silence in the morning as gently as she could.

"I did," Pyrrha murmured. "I was the only one JNPR who did."

"Same for me," Ruby paused thoughtfully, her gaze darkening for a moment before she spoke again. "Then again, Weiss might have gotten one. She wouldn't open the packet in front of us, so I don't know for sure."

Pyrrha wished she had something constrictive to say to that. Sadly, only comforting statements made out of desperation came to mind. Ruby deserved better than that. With great difficulty, she settled for acknowledging the truth. "Receiving a letter from the headmaster is a great honor. Probably the highest a Beacon student can hope for, but Weiss has other goals. If she plans to go back to Atlas, her only choice would be to respectfully decline."

"Yeah, I'm not looking forward to seeing her go. I know we always have a scrolls and she's only a flight away, but it feels so... _final_ somehow."

"Yes, well, a lot of things feel that way these days."

"What do you plan to do?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know, Ruby," Pyrrha said with a shake of her head. "To be honest, I doubt any of us really expected to make it this far. My license is going to be valuable anywhere. Taking that into consideration, I suppose the reasonable thing to do would be to go home."

"I kind of get the feeling you don't want to…" Ruby trailed off.

Pyrrha swallowed hard, green eyes lifting to the mirror, seeing her own exhaustion once more. She hated the grueling regime that the teachers had insisted upon, but she dreaded the end of that regime even more. "Life at Beacon has made me complacent. We've been students so long that being here is a comfort I'm loathe to part with. I know that's just childishness, but that's the way I feel, all the same."

"Then talk to the headmaster so that you can stay here."

"Without my team with me, that's no good either," Pyrrha murmured. "I came here strictly to become a huntress. If I wasn't prepared for the difficulty of this path, I shouldn't have come."

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that. Graduating from Beacon is what we wanted. We're all probably just a little sad because we don't know what's going to come next. It'll be okay though, we'll learn to get over that sooner or later." Ruby said with a shrug. "See you in class?"

"Indeed," Pyrrha agreed, her false smile weak in the face of such brutal honesty. Then again, she couldn't expect less from Ruby Rose.

Maybe she was just tired. Overthinking things. Hesitant to let go of the life she learned to love. Sad that the bygone days of shared foolishness was slipping away along with it, as one might expect. It could have been the laundry list of disappointments, both in herself and her team, knowing that they all had their separate lives to lead. That they were willing to do so. No matter what the reason was, she knew she was tired. They all were.

Ruby was right. Although they shared this same particular adversity, there was nothing else to do but trudge on and move forward.

* * *

It _was_ what she had always wanted. Ruby had known it wouldn't come easily, but the time was fast approaching. Her future sitting in front of her, plain as day, because her efforts put her there.

But, was it worth it? Was anything that justifiable? Was this?

This was the dream she held near and dear to her heart. She would become a huntress, just like her mom used to be. As a small child she had chattered that phrase incessantly. The foggiest recesses of her recollection clung to stories that she had adamantly shoved in her big sister's face. Demanding to be read to and concocting stories of her own. Now that she was older and wiser, though, she wondered how foolish she sounded back then.

Huntresses were always the heroes in her books, but being a hero wasn't so clearly defined. It wasn't about the big things, it was about the indiscriminate tiny ones…things anyone _could_ do, but that most people didn't.

Her uncle Qrow used to chuckle to himself and pat her on the head when she said bold words. Ruby wondered if he would do the same if he could see her now. Jaune was knocked out cold. The slice from his shoulder to his chest oozed red. It wasn't the first time she'd nicked a friend in the ring. First blood was the rule now. Draining the aura meant nothing anymore. If you couldn't kill your opponents, you were too soft. You'd forfeit the victory. As fellow classmates they held back on the final blow, but the answer was clear.

If this match had been a real fight to the death, Jaune would have been dead.

She could hear Goodwitch declaring her the victor, but she was too focused on Jaune. Helping to pick him up off the floor as he blearily opened his eyes in dizzy delirium. She helped to hand him off to the members of JNPR, watching as they took him to the infirmary.

"Nice fight, sis." Yang said, patting Ruby none too gently.

"No, it wasn't." Ruby replied critically. She was sure she was sloppy. "It was too close of a match, actually." Jaune had a strong aura, a lot of it, and now that he knew how to use it, he was no slouch in the ring. It had been a close fight because her aura was not at the same level as his. "I can't afford to let my aura deplete so much next time...it was reckless."

"Don't you think you're being a little too hard on yourself?" Yang asked then with an upraised eyebrow. "I mean, I know that being ranked in the top ten is important to you, but it's not like you're going to lose it now."

"You say that, but you're fifteen in the ranking, Yang. You need to work harder too." Ruby replied, feeling the ache in her bones. "We all do…"

"Ruby, we're good. We made it, it's just a matter of time now. We kicked ass this year as a team and as individuals." Yang told her. "You can relax a little."

"We're so close! Don't risk dropping lower now, it's the final stretch."

"I'm not saying that I'm going to get lazy all of a sudden, just that I'm going to ease up a little and that you should too." Yang laughed. "Besides, I'm okay with being ranked number fifteen. It's a totally solid number. I can go out there with my head held high…hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired." She nodded as they walked back to the locker room so that she could change back into her school uniform and put her scythe away. "I keep wondering if I should go talk to the headmaster or not. I haven't been sleeping well because it's a big decision, and I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do."

"Well, stop stressing so much about it and put it aside for now," Yang said shaking her head. "Figure stuff like that out later. That's why we got all of that crap a whole month early. You've got the time, so use it…after you get changed, let's hit up some grub. Weiss and Blake are saving us some seats."

"Actually, I want to go see Jaune and apologize." Ruby told her. "I know he's going to laugh it off. We always do when one of us gets hurt, but he's still my friend and I feel bad about hurting him."

"You want me to tag along?" Yang asked.

Ruby hesitated to answer as she changed, her mind still stuck in the heat of battle. There was nothing fun about it, no friendliness in the rivalry anymore. It bothered her to strike one of her best friends. She'd hesitated several times, and Jaune did too. It had been a mess.

"No," She said slowly. "If you want, though, could you maybe swing by after you eat? Get some decent stuff from the cafeteria, and bring it to him? I bet that'd make Jaune happy."

"Yeah, no kidding, infirmary food sucks."

"Thanks, Yang."

The door opened and slammed shut behind her older sister, the locker room now eerily quiet. There were students in the halls, a low roar of mingled voices as they passed from one class to another. Ruby took a breath. Yang might have had a point. Ruby could see her own cynicism. Training made her that way now, and it was what she hated the most.

It wasn't the first time she overreacted or blew things completely out of proportion…but with the magic and adventure ripped entirely out of the training, distilled down to its most simple components, what was left bothered her.

Here she was, Ruby Rose, daughter of the deceased, deeply-loved, Summer Rose. A month away from being a certified huntress, now she knew for sure. Her mother had never been a hero, and in following those footsteps, she would never be a hero either.

* * *

Life was messy. Existence produced traces. History…namely her history, would linger here long after she was gone. Thanks to four years of living as a person instead of as a shadow, Blake Belladonna was faced with the fact that she had far too much shit just laying around.

More random possessions than she knew what to do with. Her wardrobe had doubled in size, her book collection tripled. As a person, she had made friends and alliances that would last her a lifetime. It was a humbling, frustrating thought. She had spent too long drifting by choice, that when she ended up settling down by necessity, it wasn't an easy thing to do.

Trying to live as non-entity was painful and impossible. Yet, living as a person made her heart stutter.

She had done it for years in the safety of the school. Adults that were not her parents guided her but equally stayed out of her way. She didn't need to make excuses or worry about being a total failure. She didn't risk being a letdown. She could just be herself, with no longstanding repercussions if she took a misstep along the way. Even her heritage, after a hiccup or two, was a non-issue to the team. That she had been a terrorist didn't matter.

Not to the professors, who obviously knew, and not to the three women who might as well have been family. Yang protected her, Weiss challenged her, and Ruby relied on her.

It was naive, perhaps, to expect that sort of safety to last forever. Wrapping herself in it like a blanket, comforting herself many times with the little white lies her lonely soul had produced in the face of warmth. That she didn't need the White Fang, or her parents, because she had her team. It was the easy thing to do, the coward's way out. Her little black bow was now merely replaced with a new kind of hiding. A hiding that, in reflection, wasn't any different from what she had always done.

Immobilized and trembling in the shadows. Waiting for the big, scary, bad thing at the time to simply go away again. It was just that, instead of a shadow, it was a teammate. Courage offered to her on a silver platter all for the taking, when she herself had none.

"What in the hell is this?" Blake asked to no one in particular, though Weiss was also in the room sorting her belongings as well.

"It appears to be a fossilized doughnut…" Weiss said dryly. "Likely of the glazed variety."

"Great…" Blake deadpanned, now dreading what else she might find stuck under her bed. "Because there isn't enough shoved into every crevice, there has to be crap like this too."

"As if Ruby's any better." Weiss replied. "I already shared a similar discussion with her about an apple core."

Golden eyes rolled. "I'm surprised we didn't end up with ants," Blake said, sticking her hand underneath the bed and into the clump of scattered belongings. A few sets of shoes, a pair of hip hugger jeans and a scuffed up white box saw the light of day once more. "Every year, we end up finding things that just have no excuse being there, and every year, without fail, something is under my bed decomposed."

"Indeed."

"I knew I should have taken the top bunk this year...make Yang clean this out for once."

"Trust me, this is the lesser of two evils. I don't particularly enjoy cleaning up after Ruby, but I know firsthand, it could be worse."

"I don't see how." Blake gritted, holding up one of Yang's gym socks. It had likely gone unwashed for months. The odor of dry and musty sweat was faded, but sickening.

"Nosey maids have a tendencies to tidy everything, including the things I order them to stay away from." Weiss replied, acid dripping from her tone. "They're like honeybees, always with an agenda."

"If they bother you that much, get of a few of them to buzz under the bed. If the stench doesn't kill them, Yang's cluster of unmentionables should at least horrify them."

"That's assuming your pornographic collection doesn't do so first."

"I keep telling you, it's not porn."

"Fine, call it erotica. It doesn't change the fact that there's enough sex to make a brothel look like a church." Weiss cut her off as the scroll on the desk buzzed. "It never ends." She sighed to herself before grasping the object of her annoyance. "I have to take this, I'll be up on the roof if anyone needs me."

Blake smiled as she shook her head in spite of it all, finally getting around to looking in the white box made for jewelry. The first bow she'd ever bought with the intent to hide herself rested inside. It was tattered now, old, worn out, and abused from just one too many fights. Even though it was completely unwearable, she was hesitant to part with it. She had purchased new bows over the years, worn them out of comfort and habit than anything else.

The people that mattered knew she was a Faunus, the rest of the world wasn't her concern.

It wasn't that she hid, but that there was no reason to reach out to strangers. She had done what many assumed would never happen. She had befriended a Schnee, and Weiss treated her as an equal. If that wasn't gratifying and meaningful in its own way, Blake didn't know what was. Weiss was proof that the bow wasn't something Blake needed to continue to wear, that times were slowly changing.

Still, though, just because she didn't completely need it, didn't mean she had to give it up, either.

* * *

"Father, I…Yes I understand…I know exactly what my priorities should be and I…..." Weiss sighed at length. "No. I was not made aware by anyone that he had a girlfriend. I don't understand how that applies to me…Perhaps for some women that is a valid concern, but I don't share it…Gender doesn't mean everything…That's simply nearsighted…Of course not! I'm not planning on becoming some sort of spinster…It _is_ ridiculous!…If I had wanted to join the military like my elder sister, I would have stayed in Atlas…I don't deny that I've been difficult, however, I have been focused on my studies as I should be…Yes, I will."

Weiss hung up the call with little more than a murmured curse. With an agitated sigh, she dialed a number she rarely put to use. Memorized by force, not by desire. After three rings, they picked up.

"I don't pretend to think for an instant that you're an innocent young man, Whitley. However, I never assumed you to be a shame to our bloodline," Weiss hissed between gritted teeth. "Just what in the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I haven't the slightest clue about what you're talking about," a smooth voice replied, boyish and cunning, a troublesome, knowing tone in his voice. "I've been maintaining my studies here in Atlas. Preparing myself to help aid you in running the company after my graduation in a few short years. It was what our father intended after all."

"You've been sleeping around," Weiss replied.

"You have no proof of that claim."

"I don't require any, I'm not stupid. You think just because I'm away at school that I'm a complete and total stranger to you?"

"Oh, my dear sister, I never said that."

"Father's elated by the way, that you have so many girls interested in your affection...can't imagine why he would be," she noted sarcastically.

"Is he now? I wasn't aware."

"Oh, don't be obnoxious," Weiss shot back. "Whitley, I know how you think. You're the third child. The only chance you have of getting the company away from me is to offer up something that I don't presently have. You're taking the route of progeny, because as a man, you can get away with sleeping around." She sighed, long and slow. Winter would have a field day with this one, if she managed to hear of it. "Trust me, this is not the path you want to take."

"How can you be so sure of what I want, Weiss?" the young man asked. "I'm entitled to my own desires, aren't I?"

"I know you seem to think the world of our father, but he's not a good man…dancing to his tune might earn you the company, but you'll also be planted firmly under his thumb. You don't want that, no one should."

"Then why do you seem so interested, Weiss? Why be, as you say, planted under his thumb, if you don't want that?" Whitley mused thoughtfully. "I'm perfectly capable of undertaking the task, if you're so obviously opposed."

"I've trained for this!" Weiss shot back. "I've worked hard to be in this position, and you have no idea the sort of game you're playing at. If you had decided to travel abroad, I might think you were more prepared to understand the sort of man our father is…the problem is, you haven't, and you'll end up brainwashed if you keep this up."

"Weiss, I don't doubt you have the best of intentions. You've always been a well-meaning person, so let me offer you some sage advice," Whitley replied simply, as if he wasn't threatening his older sister. "Stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours. To the victor, go the spoils. Play fair now, big sister."

"Damn it, Whitley, you don't under-" The line had already cut off. Her infuriating little brother was biting off more than he could chew. "What an idiot…"

Home was another four letter word for hell. It sounded more friendly and inviting, but that was just semantic thinking. A turn of phrase, pretty dressings for the scars beneath it. Rooms were cells, inheritance shackles. They rattled every time her father spoke. Warmth was an inferno, a promise to be burned with every smile. Family was fate…linear and inescapable, because like it or not, she had a job to do.

She'd made promises that held weight, both to herself, and the people that mattered, and she would always keep her word. Even when that word guaranteed her own discomfort, she knew she had to try.

There was nothing left for her in the cold northern wasteland that Atlas prided itself on. There was nothing honorable about her intentions. It was as much about spite as it was personal duty, and Weiss was wise enough to know that. Going home - if she could really call the place such a well-intentioned word - was the plan she'd had from the start.

It was vicious, but no less so than her predecessors, poised for equal greatness. After all, that was the plight of a Schnee…Biting her lip, she decided to call their big sister. Maybe Winter could sort their baby brother out.

* * *

 **AYangThang:** Hello everyone, welcome to the newest project to see the light of day. It's been brewing for quite some time, and unlike the other works on this profile, this one has the gift of actually having a Beta. That being said, I want to give a huge thank you to **Dongyrn** for suffering through all of the edits, and helping me to build the bedrock of this story. Speaking of, if you haven't seen her new crossover fiction featuring the RWBY characters in the Star Wars universe, go check out **RWBY Star Wars: Prophecy** over on her profile, it's a good read.


	2. Chapter 2

_When you are dealing with stress, the problem may not be the stressful situation, as much as the effort to avoid that situation and the feelings it arouses. - Ted A. Grossbart_

Another typical day in the dorm, and another moment of peace crushed to bits thanks to Nora. A large mass of paperwork hit the trashcan with a loud _thump_ as she uncaringly deposited everything she didn't need. Ren shook his head with a soft smile, used to her antics. He made no attempt to retrieve the packet, adding his own to the pile in a gentler fashion.

Pyrrha watched the whole event unfold from the safety of her own paperwork that was handed down to them by the school faculty, unsurprised by the differences in the selfsame action.

"There we go. That takes care of that." Nora said happily, dusting her hands off. "We really should have just dumped everything sooner."

Ren allowed himself to measure his thoughts on the subject, fingers running through his dark locks. They had given away many of their possessions to charity, and had thrown away a great deal as well. "I'm glad we waited, just to be sure."

"Aren't you worried about having nowhere to go?" Jaune asked, capturing Pyrrha's attention as he gawked at his fellow teammates. "We're only cleared to stay in the dorms for another two weeks, then ready or not, we're booted out."

"Are you kidding?" Nora laughed. "We have everywhere to go. Sky's the limit! Ren and I don't need all that paper, it's all spelled out for us."

"Is that so?" Pyrrha asked, willingly getting swept away by Nora's exuberance.

"Yeah," she chirped with a grin. "We'd have to be blind not to see it. We'll wander from place to place, clearing the paths until we find a village to settle. Then, once we do, we'll keep clearing the area and help the other villages nearby. Well, if there are any other village nearby."

"Living someplace remote might not be a bad idea," Ren pondered aloud.

Pyrrha was intrigued by that. "It seems as though you've both put a lot of thought into this." The distraction was better than glaring daggers upon her own stack of papers. Setting them off to the side, she perched at the edge of her bed. "If I may ask, don't you think it's just a little risky to travel around aimlessly? Money is a finite resource, and travel isn't cheap."

"We're used to it. Before coming Beacon, we never stayed in one place too long," Nora said, brushing away the concern as usual. "We'll be fine just like always. Right, Ren?"

Ren nodded, already resting in a meditative stance, eyes closed and his shoulders relaxed. "There are many small villages who don't have the luxury of hiring a huntsmen. Without the protection of the city walls, and no way to train huntsmen formally, they need to depend on help from the larger villages."

Jaune had been to a few villages before, so hearing such a statement concerned him. "Isn't that a little risky without a full team?"

"For those unprepared, without a doubt." Ren said smoothly. "Nora and I are definitely prepared. We decided it would be best to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

Pyrrha could only guess about their past. Ren was never willing to speak at length, and Nora wasn't quite the blabber mouth everyone assumed her to be. Green eyes could only gaze at the young man sympathetically. Details left by the wayside, there was one sad truth among his words. Ren and Nora had no family to return to.

Thinking about that now wouldn't do her any good, but it pained her anyway, a strange sort of emptiness giving voice to her choked words. "I… I am so very sorry."

Nora cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"I'm far more fortunate than I allow myself to realize sometimes. I've been incredibly self-absorbed in my own problems recently," Pyrrha told them. Her heart felt heavy, her words more so. "I should be ashamed of myself."

"Don't," Ren said quietly, his voice firm. "Faith and guidance come from higher powers. It's not something we have the agency to decide. What happened was meant to happen, and we have our path laid before us now. There's no reason to feel sorry for that."

"Ren and I came from a weak village." Nora told them, knowing Ren tried to distance himself from his past the best that he could. She decided to speak candidly, even if only slightly. "If there had been a team of trained huntsmen in our village, maybe things would be different. So, that's the difference we want to make. It's the whole reason we came to Beacon." She launched herself on her bed, bouncing on it before flopping down. "What about you guys, what are you going to do?"

"I'll probably join up with my family." Jaune offered happily. "I have several cousins who patrol the border for a living. The way I see it, once I graduate Beacon, they'll want to take me along. I can keep close to my sisters and do what I want for a living. Best of both worlds."

"That does seem as if it would be fun." Pyrrha said with a smile, inwardly cringing when all eyes, Ren's included, landed on her. "Um, yes?"

It was Jaune who spoke. "You haven't told us anything yet. What are your plans?"

From his mouth the question was painful to hear. Pyrrha hated the sound of it. Hopeful, conversational, and so completely naïve. It was as if he expected her to have everything in perfect working order. Once again, her status somehow promised what her ego could not.

She didn't want to disappoint him, but she hadn't a clue about what to do yet. "I wish I had some sort of plan to tell you about."

"You could always come with me. My parents think you're awesome, and you get along well with my sisters," Jaune said. "My cousins think you're pretty badass too, so I know they'd want you in on a team. We could just keep partnering up together like always."

It was a small smile that she offered. Genuine, but weak. "That's very nice of you to offer, but I'm afraid I'd just be an imposition."

"No way, they wouldn't even think twice about it. They love having you guys around. All of you."

Jaune didn't realize that his very statement was the entire problem. Clearing her throat, she tried her best to explain as gently as she could.

"Jaune, your family has been very hospitable to all of us. They send letters and packages all the time. Your sisters invite us for outings. Your parents invite the whole team over during the holidays. Honestly, I've never felt so comfortable among another household in my life. However, I do not want to take advantage of that kindness. Besides, I have my own family to return to."

"You know, partner, sounds kind of like you're hesitating about that."

"I am."

Nora flipped over, eyeing Pyrrha upside down. "Why?"

"It pains me to say this, but, on the one hand, I have my own home to return to. On the other hand, if I don't accept the headmaster's offer, I'm throwing away the opportunity of a lifetime." She pushed her long red hair that flowed freely from its signature ponytail behind her ear, an action born from nervousness. "I'm still unsure of what would be best."

Nora seemed thoughtful. Kicking her feet, she rolled the idea around in her mind. "Opportunity of a lifetime or not, if you don't want to do it, it's pointless. You need to find the one thing you want, and you've got to go for it. If it takes a little bit of time to figure that out, so what? As long as it makes you happy."

"Ya know, she's not wrong." Jaune said, reclining back on his bed.

"Yes, I know, but I'm still conflicted. I think I'll go to the gym and run for a bit. I think I could really use the time to clear my head." She excused herself from the room as quickly as decorum would allow, promising them that she would meet up with the team for dinner, just like always.

Gym bag in hand, she made her way to the lower floors and into the women's lockers. The clinking of metal doors and sounds of hot running water filled her ears while she changed. It was just as loud in the gym. Televisions and radios turning into muffled racket as she passed by.

Ruby Rose was jogging at one of the machines. A box of cookies balanced on the small ledge that was normally afforded for water bottles and music players. The girl could go like that for miles, even while munching on cookies all the while.

Pyrrha didn't bother to mention that food wasn't allowed in the gym. Instead, she started up the treadmill. Draping a towel across her neck as she got to work, they ran in companionable silence. It wasn't long before others entered as well in groups of two and four. They were underclassmen, she could tell due to their routines. Probably first year students. They were playful still, lacking the slowly hardening edge of seriousness that everyone at Beacon seemed to undergo.

She remembered a time when weight training was filled with snarky remarks and giggles. Yang and Nora came up with new challenges of endurance. Back then, Jaune's only equal in weight lifting was Ruby. They struggled to keep up. Getting Ruby to train without her scythe was a herculean effort in and of itself.

Activities were innocent thing back then. Calorie burns dashed to bits with the promise of greasy pizza and guzzling soda in the aftermath. Though Pyrrha never partook of the silliness firsthand, she had always spectated with a smile on her face.

Such moments were taken for granted, she missed them now more than ever.

* * *

Flowers were a spectacle for anyone born and raised in Atlas. Seeing the carefully planned color schemes never failed to interest a women like Winter Schnee. Part of the problem was that the northern climate didn't offer much in the way of greenery. The other problem was that the military was a particularly sterile environment.

When she traveled, she was taken aback by the changes forced by the seasons.

Beacon was her favorite place to visit. The gardens were magnificently tended, and Weiss was always willing to take a long stroll. Winter tended to travel to Beacon often, but this would be her last visit that was purely for recreational purposes.

Her dear little sister wasn't quite so little anymore. She was no longer the gangly and slender twig of a girl. Weiss didn't seem quite as delicate now, either. It was as though Beacon had forged a true warrior out of her. She would never be as disciplined as a graduate from Atlas Academy would be, but Winter considered that a small blessing.

There was one tiny issue though, and it was something that had been niggling at Winter for years now. Addressing the matter, however, was no small task.

"I just don't think you're fit to run the company. That is by no means a slight upon your intellect or your skill. It's merely the way I feel you are as a person." Winter told Weiss honestly.

"If it's not a slight, what is it then?"

"Circumstance, dear sister, little more."

Weiss only gave a small laugh. "Some might call that a cop-out."

"As if I'm such a coward." Winter shot back, a playful slap upon her sister's forearm punctuating the reply. "Some people are more suited to a task than others. While I'm sure you could conform to the needs of the company, I doubt the company could conform to you…"

"You've been digging around again, haven't you?"

"Do you blame me?"

Weiss glared at her sister for a moment before sighing. "No, I don't. Actually quite the opposite. I know you could be right."

"There are plenty of avenues to consider, and redeeming the Schnee family name comes in many forms. The Schnee Dust Company isn't the only way to go about that."

"It may not be the only way, but, it's right way to do things."

"It may be impossible." Winter said, her voice tinged with sternness, though her eyes laced with care. A contradiction afforded only to those Winter truly cared for. "I'd advise you again to consider joining in the military. Ironwood and I have uses for hunters such as yourself."

"This again, Winter? You know how I feel about the military."

"With our bloodline and a little bit of effort, you'd quickly rise the ranks. Your achievements in few years might suit your goals more quickly."

"Not efficiently though, and that's the problem." Weiss said. "Besides, the military was your passion project and workhorse, not mine."

"Politics was my ultimate goal, but, things change." Winter began, stopping only to offer Weiss a sideways glance. "I could have removed Ironwood from his role if I wanted to, but, I chose to follow his lead instead. He deals well with Father's unpleasantness, not to mention the political powers that be. At his side, I become fluent in the backhanded way our government runs. Communism at its most corrupt, Weiss, and not in the ways one might expect."

"The only thing wrong with Communism is that it's incredibly unstable in the wrong hands. In the right ones, it's proven to be a functional and effective way to run a government. It's the ideals of those in charge that I question, not the system itself."

"The greater council that overlooks Remnant agrees with that same sentiment, Weiss. They firmly believe in it. The problem is, the people like our father are the ones to hold that power. No changes will be made, and no good can come from such bigoted ways of thinking."

"Obviously…"

"To you, perhaps, but not to the public." Winter pointed out. "Government, in any capacity, should be a tool to ensure safety and prosperity for everyone. It should never be engineered towards thoughts of personal supremacy."

"Which is why I intend to overtake the company." Weiss replied. "If it's in my hands, I can begin to make proper changes."

"No one will follow you." Winter murmured.

Weiss laughed at that. "I know, but that's not my concern."

"It should be, though, should it not?"

Weiss shrugged, speaking candidly of her personal selfishness. "I never intended to take the world on my shoulders. The only thing I care about is changing our company. From there, I can only hope that others do the same. I never assumed it would be easy. Like you said, it may even be impossible. If I don't try, I will never be satisfied."

"Father will choose Whitley," Winter said softly. "He's a male, and follows the man around like a duckling. He's the baby of the family also, and he's been coddled as a result. Father has always favored him."

"Father favored you," Weiss reminded her. "You were poised for the company, Winter. Why did you reject your inheritance?"

"I'm a woman, simple as that. The heir in blood and name only." Winter chuckled then. "You must remember, Weiss, our parents were exceptionally young when they had me. They were still teenagers, married by force. Our mother's only role as a woman was to bear offspring. I stood as a viable heir for so long because I'm far older than you. Once Whitley was born, I knew even if I did agree to take my place at the helm of the company, it would only be a matter of time. Unless I bowed to conformity and began to produce children myself, you or Whitley would easily be chosen over me in the long run."

"So you chose the military instead."

"Independence away from the household. Joining the military was the only way at the time," Winter corrected. "How was I to know you'd grow to be such a bullheaded and equally independent woman?"

"I refuse to be some sort of mindless baby maker, I'll give you that." Weiss frowned, the gears in her head turning visibly. "If that somehow keeps me from taking over the company, so be it. More importantly, I'm worried about Whitley. He doesn't have a clue what he's getting himself into, does he?"

"He's a charming young man with money, and he's not an eyesore. I don't want to just blame everything on male privilege, but, he is abusing a great deal of his power unknowingly, and he's too young to understand the full weight of those ramifications yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Father's hoping for an accident. Boys will be boys in Atlas. Meanwhile, if a well-to-do young woman spreads her legs, she's the one in the wrong."

Weiss rolled her eyes as she stomped a few paces ahead, and then turned on her heel to face her elder sister. "Whitley should know that."

"I'm sure he does." Winter agreed. "If an accident does occur, and sooner or later it will, the scrutiny will fall to the unfortunate woman who will ultimately bear the child. If her family refuses an arranged marriage at that point, well, the ensuing custody battle would easily be won by brute force alone."

Weiss felt her skin crawl. It was an absolutely disgusting thought. "Either way, knowing our lawyers, the outcome would be clear…"

"Whitley would win. Of course, Father will have his hand in raising the child, since Whitley is still so young himself…and you do see where I'm going with this, correct?"

"I do, and I'm appalled." Weiss said with a shake of her head. "Whitley can be short sighted sometimes. He's not a chauvinistic pig. Competitive, surely, and obviously thinking with his lower extremities, but I have never known him to treat women as sexual objects for personal gain."

"What do you intend to do, Weiss?"

"I…" Weiss rubbed at her eyes. "Frankly, I don't know yet. Before all of this, I truly thought he might be gay."

"Not everyone shares your attraction to the same gender," Winter pointed out gently.

"I didn't want to rule out the possibility." Weiss said almost aimlessly, unsure of how to phrase her thoughts on the topic. "Given his usual disposition, I could never be sure. He is a very effeminate sort of person."

Winter nodded but stayed silent, digesting the small truth for what it was.

They continued down the path to a nearby pavilion where they both took a seat. Waiting for them was hot tea and lunch provided for them by the faculty of the school. A handwritten letter signed by Ozpin himself completed the setting.

Winter set the apology note aside, and instead took a sip of her tea, trying ever so carefully to measure her words. "I'm glad he isn't gay."

Weiss looked up from the table. Pain buried beneath a cool exterior.

"I didn't mean that as an admonishment. I worry about you" Winter said, folding her hands atop the table. "Homosexuality in any respect isn't very well received in Atlas, and while I'm happy you've found yourself, you need to be careful. Being vocal at all about your inclination just isn't safe."

Weiss didn't need the warning. She already knew that, but she accepted that Winter worried about her. At least her sister cared about her. That's what mattered. "My goals are strictly business related. I don't have the time or sanity required to focus on anything else outside of that. Whitley needs our protection now more than ever, gay or not."

"I'm surprised you haven't decided to let him learn things the hard way," Winter observed with a tiny smile.

"That's your methodology, and I'm thankful that you are such a person," Weiss said after a few moments of just watching the soft wind go by, jostling the flowers as it went. "I know you don't think much of Yang. I certainly understand why your mindsets clash so vehemently. That being said, she's taught me many things about being an older sibling."

Winter lifted an eyebrow. "Such as?"

"Sometimes they need you to be the pushy older sister. In order to do the right thing, sometimes you don't have a choice. Whitley is our baby brother, not our best friend. Even if it makes him unbelievably angry, I have to do what I can to help him."

Winter nodded. "I agree, and I'll do everything in my power to help him as well. Just remember, he's his own person too. If he chooses not to listen, there won't be a whole lot you can do."

Weiss could only sigh as Winter began to dish out their lunches onto paper plates. What if Whitley didn't want help? What if he didn't listen? That was exactly what she was worried about, and she had no idea how to fix any of it.

* * *

Ruby had been told that she could simply graduate and go back home. She considered doing just that, idling for just a little while.

Yang planned to do it, and she had no qualms about it. The blonde was already pulling out the dusty maps that highlighted the misadventures of STRQ. It was curiosity brought on by the absence of Raven, and Yang's desire to know more about her. It was also Yang's thirst for adventure, clawing at her to be set free without restrictions holding her back.

Ruby appreciated and idolized her big sister, but, as a younger sibling she agonized too.

For the first time in her life she would be choosing, with great trepidation, not to follow Yang's shadow. She felt like lost duckling, quivering when left alone too long. Out of worry, she thought about Patch and the comforts of being home.

Her dad came to mind. He was an easygoing sort of guy. He wasn't always there when she needed him, but he was full of words to live by. She was thankful for a lot of them, and they played in her mind almost daily. The little statements grounded her, and helped chase away the anxiety.

Ruby mumbled them to herself. "Don't get worked up, but work up a sweat. Let go of anger. Don't dwell on regret."

She repeated it over, and over, and over again. Pacing back and forth as she tried to come to terms with what she had just done. It felt so final. In fact, considering that she had signed a contract, her name slathered across the page in bold black ink, it _was_ final.

Ruby had done it. She had just promised Ozpin she would undertake one of the open positions offered to her at Beacon, and it terrified her.

Before she could collect herself any further, Yang barged into the dorm room holding a piece of Ember Celica on her hands. "Hey sis can you help me out? Celica jammed on itself, and I can't seem to get it extend into combat form."

"Again?" Ruby asked, already reaching for her tool kit. "You really need to stop using so much dust with your gunpowder."

"You say that, but the blast is frickin' glorious," Yang replied, though she knew her sister was right.

"Yeah, until it blows you sky high," Ruby said, wedging the crumpled shell casing out from the gauntlet with a pair of needle nose pliers. "You know, you're going to have to start using a little restraint."

Yang uplifted a single blonde eyebrow, her smile falling into a thin line. Concern skittering across her expression before she was able to school it properly. "What do you mean, Ruby?"

"You're too rough on your weapon, Yang." Ruby said with a shake of her head. "You punch too hard, fire off bullets at point blank range, and press back against the recoil. She might be a glorified boxing glove, but she's still a gun too. You're a lot stronger than you were before, and that doesn't help either. It might be time to think about upgrades."

"Yeah…" Yang conceded, she had been thinking about it for a while. "I might do that once we get home. Get some parts from that guy up on the hill and modify her."

"Um, about that, I don't think I'll be going home for good," Ruby began. "Just a visit."

The blonde hopped up and took a seat on Ruby's bed. "Did you finally go talk to the headmaster?"

Ruby nodded. "He told me to just call him Ozpin. I need to get used to that. We got to talking, and he says that missions are usually long and dangerous. I'll be benched for a little while so I can settle back in at home. I need to buy some gear that he says I'll need. After that, it'll be a lot of moving around."

"The long and dangerous thing isn't exactly a shock, we should already know that," Yang said nonchalantly. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little worried about it, but I think that's normal for everyone right now. You're awesome at this, Ruby, and you're going to make a good huntress."

"I'm going to be alone though, I think. I've trained in a team environment for so long, it's going to be weird getting used to being on my own again."

"It's freaking you out a little, isn't it?"

"Kind of?" Ruby returned in question, twisting part of her cape in her fingers, Celica forgotten on her lap. "Uncle Qrow trained me to be a solitary fighter because scythe users normally fight that way. We can hurt people around us if we aren't careful. I know I can handle myself, but, when you have a routine as a team like we do…"

"Yeah, Ruby, I know," Yang said with a soft laugh, ruffling the short strands of brown and red hair atop Ruby's head. "Being on your own is going to suck, but that's what scrolls are for, right? You'll probably get one with way better reception than the ones we have."

"You think?" Ruby asked hopefully.

"Eh, if you don't, I'll buy you one before you go," Yang promised with a smile, slinging her arm around her sister in sideways hug. "You'll just have to call whenever you set up camp. Remind yourself that we're waiting for you back at home."

Ruby nodded, looking down at the floor for a little while, tracing lines in the carpet with her eyes. "You aren't sure about what you're doing yet, are you?"

"Nope," Yang said, popping the end of the word between her lips. "I might take a few missions along the border, ask around about my mom again. Nothing too deep or anything. Just put my ear to the ground and see what I find. My original plan was to take each day as it comes, and I still think that's how I'll handle things at first."

"Why am I not surprised?" Ruby rhetorically murmured, going back to maintaining Yang's precious weapon.

They sat like that in companionable silence, working on the small mechanical parts that made Ember Celica function as a proper weapon. Ruby was going to miss working on it with her sister, her love of machines and weaponry had given them this shared hobby. She knew many people wouldn't understand why they did it together. Yang could easily do the work herself.

...But then again, other people didn't need to understand. That's what made the shared task so wonderful. Ruby knew moments like these were the ones she would miss the most.

An abrupt knock on the door pulled the sisters from their thoughts. "I'll get it," Ruby said, putting the idle thought away for now. The sight on the other side of the door was far more concerning.

"I believe that this is yours," Glynda Goodwitch stated as she floated a very inebriated Qrow Branwen into the room and entering as well before closing the door behind her.

"Uncle Qrow…" Ruby chastised with clenched teeth, a palm coming up to her face to hide her embarrassment. "He didn't break anything, did he?"

"Bet he did." Yang grinned, smacking her uncle's cheek a few times none too gently to wake him from his stupor. He groaned in reply, bending himself over the bucket incase he puked. "What's the carnage this time?"

"I don't have time to detail his antics to great length," Glynda said, though she eyed the dark haired man with equal amounts fondness and disgust. "Whenever Winter Schnee arrives on campus, I make it a point to keep Qrow as far away as humanly possible. However, I didn't plan on the surprise visit this afternoon, and your uncle was left to his own devices. I'll let you conjure up your own conclusion as to how much damage he caused."

While Yang was too busy laughing, Ruby tried her best not to get upset. "Sorry professor, we'll try to keep an eye on him."

"I'd suggest that you do." Glynda nodded. "Furthermore, I assume he has a concussion. I'm not quite sure how he managed it, but he smacked himself in the head with his weapon."

"Believe it or not, that's easier to do than you'd think," Ruby said, as Yang checked his pupils to see if they would respond correctly to light. "Thanks for bringing him to us, we'll take it from here."

"See that you do, I'd hate to have to pry any more rubble off of him," Glynda said. "Please be sure to remind him that Ozpin is still waiting for his report…and that I would implore him to be sober while he delivers it. Oh, and Ruby?"

"Yes?"

"Although you haven't graduated just yet, you've already filed the paperwork to be stationed under Ozpin's command. Officially, we're equals now. You can simply call me Glynda."

Ruby smiled shyly, scratching the back of her head. "Sorry, it takes some getting used to…"

Glynda simply nodded, her eyes flicking over to Qrow. She disregarded him a moment later, looking back towards Ruby. "You will get used to it, though, we all do. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some unexpected repairs to do around the school."

Yang turned to Ruby after Glynda had departed the room. "I'm going to grab him something from the cafeteria. Do you want anything?"

"No, I'm not very hungry," Ruby murmured with a frown. "Take your time though."

Once Ruby was alone with the man in the corner, she studied him carefully. The sisters were used to his drunken antics by now. In fact, Ruby expected it regularly. Yang took the matter in stride. Ruby did the same when she was younger, but the older she got, the harder it was to laugh along with her sister.

She scrutinized the lump on his head, and the way he struggled to heal it. With a sigh, she forced his hands away so that she could start healing it herself.

"This is getting to be ridiculous," she said to him, more confused and disappointed than ever. How could such a great man of legend be reduced to a crumpled heap on the floor? "You have got to get a better handle on your drinking. It's getting out of control."

"Preachin' to the choir, kid," Qrow half growled, half slurred. "I know when I bite off more than I can chew."

"Then why do you keep doing it?"

"Dunno how to stop," he groused, lifting his gaze to meet hers. "Uh-oh, what'd I do now?"

Ruby shook her head. "If you can't figure that out, that's your own fault. I'm not going to explain it to you every single time."

"Speakin' of explaining things, just what in the hell were you thinking, signin' your life away to Ozpin?" Qrow asked then. "And when were you going to tell me about it?"

"I filled out the paperwork just a little while ago. I didn't have a chance to tell you. I thought about it a long time, but being a huntress is what I want, and there's no greater honor than working under the headmaster directly."

"That asshole tell you that himself? Figures he'd try and play you like a puppet…bastard has no morals sometimes. You're smarter than this kiddo, go up there and tell him you want out. If he won't cancel the contract, I'll go up there and deal with it myself."

"You don't have to get so angry about it." Ruby wet a washcloth with cold water from the bathroom, plopping it atop the man's head for his aching skull. In her outrage, she wasn't gentle in doing so. "I'm electing to work for Ozpin by choice. I want to do it. He didn't force me."

"That stubborn asshole knows what he's doing wrong. He just doesn't care."

"Pot meet kettle," Ruby shot back. "Don't insult people so much. You don't have any room to do that when you're sitting on my floor hunched over from drinking too much."

"I beg to differ."

Ruby gave him a deadpanned stare. "Drunkle Qrow the man ho...enough said."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "You can't hold that over my head forever."

Ruby began to pace, stopping once her thoughts could no longer keep up with her feet. "I don't need to. You do it to yourself. Do you realize all of the crazy things I've heard? The snickering that goes on whenever you visit? Professor Port can't even keep a straight face in front of you, and you make it worse because of all of the trouble you cause Winter. There's always a new story about you somewhere, and the worst part is, normally it's true."

"That fight out there," Qrow began with a wag of his finger, "was not a dispute I started. Go get pissy at Winter, not me."

"Well, even if you didn't start it, you certainly ended it. I hope the concussion was worth it, because now other people are cleaning up the mess. By tomorrow everyone is going to be blaming you."

"Yeah, me, Ruby. It's not on you."

"People talk, and then I have to answer awkward questions for the next week. If it's that bad now, what's going to happen when I graduate? Am I going to walk into Ozpin's office once day to find you bent over his trash can like this? Is that a thing I'm going to have to worry about?"

Qrow shrugged. "Maybe, not going to lie. It's happened before."

"What do you expect me to do, laugh it off like I did when I was three?" Ruby asked him heatedly, an edge of anger in her voice. "It's not funny anymore. Watching you rip up the campus and drink yourself blind scares me. If this keeps up, one day it'll go too far…if it already isn't too far. Sometimes I can't tell."

"Damn it, you back-talk me worse than your mother ever did." Qrow yanked the white cloth away, squinting in the light of the room. "It's an addiction kiddo, I don't make excuses, I just do it."

"Well maybe she should have yelled at you more," Ruby told him. "You're supposed to be a skilled hunter that everyone takes pride in, but no. You're not. You get so drunk you smash yourself in the head with your own weapon. Enough is enough."

"You take that job, you'll know exactly why I drink."

"No, I won't, because I don't even like drinking."

Qrow shook his head at that. "It'll be something else then. Why can't you be more like your sister? Be happy you're making it out of this academy with a diploma to show for it? There's all kinds of jobs out there, you don't have to work for Oz."

"Why can't you be happy that I'm living the life I want to live? I'm getting the dream I've always wanted."

"Your dream is a goddamn nightmare, Ruby. You don't understand that. There are other forces at play here. Things you don't understand, because your dick of a headmaster won't tell you the truth, not even if you ask."

"Then why don't you tell me?"

"Because I decided to become one of his lackeys. By law, there are some thing I just can't say. Missions are confidential, and unless you're read into them, I can't tell you anything. For your safety there are things he shouldn't say, but if you knew what I knew…you'd run like hell."

"No, I wouldn't. I don't get scared off that easily."

"Your mom's dead because of this bullshit, Ruby. Just keep that in mind."

"Mom died because she accepted a dangerous mission. She chose to do it, and it ended badly. It sucks that it did, but that's not anyone's fault. I'm choosing to work for Ozpin because I want to understand what her life was like. She had a life outside of Patch, and I want that connection to her. I want to see life the way she did."

"See, you say that, but you're talking out of your ass, kiddo, trust me."

"Right, you're drunk. It's hard to reason with drunk people. It's not worth the fight right now…" Ruby said aloud, more to calm herself down, rather than to pick a fight with her uncle. She grabbed her weapon and began to dismantle it for proper cleaning.

"Ruby…"

She looked up from her work, giving him a harsh glare, biting off two infuriated words. "Not. Now." She couldn't bear to look at him like this and averted her gaze soon after. Her next set of word were gentler. Weakly spoken into the air. "Sober up first…"

* * *

Blake climbed the stairs to one of the conference rooms on Beacon's main floor. It wasn't uncommon for her to be called up there considering how many job applications she filled out. When she received the summons from the headmaster, he told her that she had a guest waiting for her on campus.

She assumed it was another employer waiting for her on the other side of the door. Smoothing out out her combat attire, and making sure her bow wasn't lopsided, she cleared her throat and grasped the handle of the door with clammy hands, cursing her nervousness.

The woman on the other end of the table surprised her.

Blake hardly believed it. All visitors to Beacon needed to wear a nametag, that the woman's name was clear as day. Kali Belladonna.

"Mom?" The word itself seemed almost alien to her as it clawed against her throat awkwardly.

"It's been a long time, Blake." The woman said, standing slowly from the plush leather seat. "You've grown…"

Blake wanted to chide the woman, pointing out that it was expected after so many years of being away. Unfortunately, it wasn't so easy to yell at her mother face-to-face. The insults and slander she spat out as a young teenger were easier when she didn't have to look at the woman.

"How did you find me?" It was as good a question as any.

"Ozpin called us the day you enrolled into Beacon."

"Excuse me?"

"You were seventeen, he couldn't allow you into the academy without our permission. You were a minor at the time. He makes cases for orphans and emancipated minors, but you were neither of those, and given your history, he had to inform us the moment you chose to enter into his school."

"Nice of him to rat me out…"

"That wasn't his intention."

Blake said nothing to this, slamming the door behind her and locking it. She crossed her arms, already on the defensive. She didn't know what to expect from this meeting, but she hated surprises, and this definitely counted as being blindsided. "I don't believe you."

"You lied to protect yourself, and he understood that."

"Apparently he didn't understand enough, and why did he lie about not knowing me?"

"He tried talking to you, or so he says, and you weren't keen to talk back. He felt like it would be best if he played along. However, as a courtesy to your father and I, he called us to let us know you were alive and well."

"And you didn't think to come to Beacon then?"

Kali sighed. She expected this kind of confrontation from her daughter, but there wasn't much she could say in the face of it. Faunus aged differently from humans, matured sooner in many ways, and were stunted in several others. It made the divide obvious as children, and young teenagers especially felt the burdens of their heritage.

Blake distanced herself from her family by choice, trying to fit into a human world, and to be the same as them. When Kali had first heard that Blake was covering up her ears, she wasn't surprised, she was hurt. Seeing the truth for herself was all the more painful to bear.

"Given the circumstances at the time, he thought you might feel betrayed. Even though you were able to fend for yourself, we felt it would be best if adults still looked after you. As much as we wanted to visit, we were afraid you'd run again. Entrusting you to Ozpin seemed to be what you wanted."

"I didn't ask for you to come here. I didn't want that."

"Blake…please…it's been too long as it is. Don't turn me away."

Blake let out a heavy sigh, ears pressing flat against her head. It wilted her bow in the process. "What do you want?"

"To see you," Kali said.

"I really wish I could believe that."

Kali ever so slowly rounded the large curricular table. "Blake?"

For human ears, the whine at the back of Blake's throat wouldn't be audible. A cat Faunus like Kali understood it perfectly as a cry of anguish. Blake's words were broken, uneven, and forced between harsh breaths of air. "Why don't you hate me?"

"There isn't enough time in a day to explain why not," Kali began, "but the start and the end of it is that you're my daughter. I love you too much to hate you. I've come here to bring you home."

"I _am_ home!" Blake protested. "I was born in Vale, I'm a citizen of Vale."

"Your father is the chieftain of Menagerie. That is our home now. I know you don't like it, but it's not a terrible place to live. The people are nice there, and the population grows larger by the day. Humans and Faunus live side by side peacefully, it's truly a wonderful place."

"That island is like a cage, and when you don't mince words, the island is named after the very place humans think we belong. A zoo. A place to keep and show off animals. We're not equal, we're pets in an atrium!"

"That's just not true. If you'd give it a chance, you'd see all the good it has to offer."

"You're lying to yourself! I can't believe dad agreed to a little island off in the corner of nowhere."

"People deserved the peace that Menagerie provided. It's not ideal, I know. There are several things wrong with the island, but no home is perfect, and we make due as best as we can. Your father wants to name you his successor. It would mean the world to him if you came home and took a place at his side."

"I hated that island as a kid, what makes you think I'll go back to that hellhole now?"

Kali gestured to the table, her eyes soft and hopeful. "Blake, can we sit down and truly discuss this? It's very important."

"Fine." Blake ground out, guarded as ever, even though deep down she didn't want to be.

She pulled out a chair and sat down, startling slightly when her mother took the chair next to her and turned it so they could sit in close proximity, face-to-face. The entire situation was very off-putting. She could smell her mother's scent, something she hadn't come across in years. It was both soothing and depressing at the same time. How many times had she nuzzled into that smell that bound them as family?

She couldn't count all the times, but as a child, it was a daily occurrence. If they were on better terms, she would have hugged her mother tightly and pressed her nose to the nape of her mother's neck, where the smell of her parents lingered the strongest.

As it was, Blake could hardly look the woman in the eyes.

"Blake, as a huntress you know that the Grimm can be very dangerous. The aquatic Grimm are deadly to the ships that travel to and from the island. Even on the island itself, the Grimm there are large. Your father is many things, but he is not a huntsmen."

She reached out her hands, taking Blake's into her own. It was the first bit of physical contact she dared to make, knowing how often Blake bristled at surprise contact of any kind, even as a little girl. She was a cautious sort of person. Prone to fear, easily startled, and quick to bristle against unwanted contact.

It was always best to wait for Blake to go to others in her own time. Perhaps, in those ways, Blake was even more catlike than Kali herself. The woman has always found herself amused in Blake's small quirks when her daughter was small, but as an adult she wondered if Blake was almost too guarded.

It wasn't mere shyness or distrust, it went deeper than that. It always had. Knowing this, she proceed gently and took great care not to push too far.

"In order to live safely, we need hunters such as yourself to protect the village. In all major cities, there are schools and leaders in charge of overseeing the threat of the Grimm. In Menagerie, hunters need someone to follow. He wants it to be you. He wants you to come back, so we can be a family."

"You gave up on Vale." Blake murmured, pulling away. "I haven't. I won't. This is my home. I'm not just a Faunus, I'm a person, and nothing you say will make me want to go back to that kennel. I am a huntress, and a citizen of Vale. I refuse to give that up."

Kali frowned deeply. She knew her husband wanted to be here too, but that he couldn't possibly leave the island on a whim. She reached for a pen and a piece of paper from inside of her purse, jotting down several numbers of where they could be reached, and handed them to her daughter. "Take it."

"Why?"

"I can't stay here with you to help get you acclimated into adulthood. I'm needed back in Menagerie. I can't be in two places at once, but you're my child, and I do worry. I need to know you're going to be okay. You'll have me worried sick otherwise."

"There's a bank account at the bottom of this." Blake said, hesitating.

"A savings account we made when you were born. Truth be told, there isn't as much in it as I would like. We were poor back then, and it was all we could do to get the bills paid. When we sold our belongings before the move, we put that money in there. Obviously, the money has gone untouched, but it was intended for you to use."

"I can't accept it."

"Yes, you can, and you're going to. I need you to." Kali forced the paper into Blake's hand. "Blake, sweetheart, please don't shut us out of your life. Adulthood is not an easy thing, it's complicated, and it's expensive. For you, it will even be dangerous. Promise me you will keep in contact. I need you to obey me just this once, and swear to me that you will."

"I'll call every so often." Blake finally agreed.

Still, she had her pride, and her dignity. Two things she would keep no matter what. Relying on her parents now, after all of the terrible things she'd said, seemed impossible. She neglected to promise that she would use the money, silently swearing that she would find another way to support herself after graduation.

* * *

 **AYangThang:** Huge ass chapter this time around, nice and meaty...hope you all enjoyed it. **Dongyrn** acted as the beta for this chapter, so a huge thank you for that...and for those of you science fictions fans, really, go give **RWBY Star Wars: Prophecy** a read if you haven't already. Trust me, it's good, you'll like it.


	3. Chapter 3

" _You can learn a lot about a woman by getting smashed with her." - Tom Waits_

The sounds of shot glasses slamming on the table punctuated another round of slow banter. Among the four women sitting at the table the beverage slid down easy, cinnamon flavor lingering on their tongues.

Bar hopping was a strange experience with Yang Xiao Long in charge of the festivities. Although the busty woman flaunted her outgoing personality, and she could certainly toss back shot after shot without batting an eye, there was a calmness about her when doing so. Party girl Yang was normally sober and clear headed. The more thoughtful side of Yang began to rear its head after the first few drinks. That fact always managed to surprise her friends, or at the very least, the ones who chose to imbibe with her to varying degrees of inebriation.

Yang sat at the table with Blake, Weiss, and Pyrrha. It would be the final time before they left the grounds of Beacon. Inevitably, all of them would go their separate ways. It was a sad little fact, but one Yang easily accepted as she toyed with her straw. Taking a sip of the fruity cocktail in her hands, she listened to the redhead across from her. Inwardly she rolled her eyes the entire time, pity bubbling from the steep pit of minor annoyances.

She didn't envy anyone at the table, but she pitied Pyrrha most of all.

Yang latched on to Pyrrha's worries, and twisted them around in her brain. A frown played on her lips, edging its way across her face before disappearing entirely. "Hey, Pyr?" she interrupted almost too quietly among the dull roar of bar patrons.

"Hmm?"

"Maybe you should hang back."

Green eyes lifted from the deep cup of merlot that seemed never ending. "It's not that simple. There are things I must attend to."

"So? Deal with them, then come back. I live near here, so at least that way you're still around a bunch of people you know. Blake's staying behind too, so if Jaune's cool with it, we can get a quad going for tough missions. No one says we can't all keep in contact."

A haughty and winded sigh demanded attention. "I hope you're joking, Yang. It would be an imposition on his family. They don't have the money, or the room for that matter, to be taking strangers into their home," Weiss stated dourly.

"Weiss, she's not a stranger…"

"But she isn't family either, Yang…"

"She's been on Jaune's team for _four years_. In a family of hunters, that makes her family too." Yang's elbow all but crashing onto the table, her loosely clenched fist supporting her cheek. "Hell, I think Jaune's mom basically adopted all of JNPR by default."

"It would still be inconsiderate, though," Pyrrha said, trying to get Yang to see her point.

"Exactly!" Weiss said, her voice carrying validation she assumed Pyrrha needed. "It's still rude to assume such pleasantries extend to beyond graduation. We're not children."

"Fine then, she can crash at my place. We've got the space, and my dad wouldn't even think twice about it. Argue _that_ one, princess," Yang fired back quickly, knowing Weiss wouldn't dare try to make a statement against Taiyang. Happy to have the upper hand, she turned her attention back onto Pyrrha. "I say, if going home freaks you out, stick with what you know. You can kick it with me at the island. We can take missions, it's a win-win."

Yang was an optimist, but none of the other three women around the table could match her exuberance on the topic. Blind faith simply wasn't easy to come by, and hesitantly, Blake decided to burst the blonde's bubble. "Yang, I hate to say this...but all of that is very unreasonable."

Pyrrha scrunched her lips together in worry, brows knitting together as she seriously considered Yang's point. Then with a sigh, she dismissed it once more. "I must admit, I strongly considered taking Jaune up on his offer, and yours too, Yang. I'm tempted to stay in Vale. The fact of the matter is, the circumstances just don't allow for me to do so."

"Well, then what's stopping you?"

"Yang, do you have to pry?" Blake sighed. "She already told you she couldn't stay."

"Yep! I'll be prying all over the place if it works." Yang nodded, completely undeterred. "I'm a big sister, being a pain in the ass is kind of my job."

"Don't we know it…" Weiss agreed with a dry laugh, earning a middle finger from Yang for her efforts.

"Sit 'n spin, Weiss."

"You made the statement, I was simply agreeing with you."

"And here we go..." Blake muttered, gulping down the beer that was in front of her and cringing at the taste.

"Nope, here we don't go. Back we go," Yang said, waving her hand in the air, ordering another round of drinks for everyone. "I'm serious, I want to hear Pyrrha say it out loud. Talking through stuff like this is important. We're not her teammates. No feelings are hurt, no toes stepped on, everything stays at this table. So, Pyr, you know the drill. Why the hell aren't you staying in Vale?"

Pyrrha allowed a lone finger to dance around the rim of her wineglass before she grasped the vessel fully and lifted it to her lips. "Honestly, that's a question I've asked myself several times in the past few days. It merely comes down to the fact that I've been raised to be one sort of person. Deviating from that upbringing even slightly can be difficult."

Yag motioned with her hand. "Okay, sooooo?"

A hard breath of air expelled from the redhead's lungs. "Although I wanted nothing more than to be a huntress, I'm expected to be a gladiator first and foremost. I certainly plan to take missions, however, that goal has always been somewhat secondary to what my family would like. Honestly, I just don't have the heart to go against their wishes."

"Oh, I've heard this song and dance before. Let me guess, you feel guilty for not following in the family's footsteps, so you think you can make yourself happy with being a huntress on the side," Yang pieced together.

The redhead nodded simply. "Yes, frankly, I thought it would be a compromise worth making."

Weiss downed what little was left of her martini, tenting her fingers and resting her chin there. "I understand where Pyrrha's coming from. Her bloodline follows a particular path, same as mine. It would be a shame to let that history falter. As an only child, it falls directly onto Pyrrha's shoulders to carry on her family's noble legacy."

"Oh, that's total crap, Weiss, and you know it!" Yang groused, an open palm slamming onto the table, clicking the empty glasses together. "Life's only worth living if you've got something to live for. If that's being a huntress, then Pyrrha should be a huntress full time."

The cat Faunus flattened her ears back, feeling them crinkle the silk of the bow on her head. "Actually, why else have a family unless you want to pass something onto them, right?"

"Uh, to have a family...you know, for the sake of it?" Yang retorted questioningly with an upraised blonde brow. "It's a good thing, a great thing even, but it doesn't have to be _everything_."

Blake, the resident lightweight of the group, looked down at her beer. She couldn't recall if it was her second or third, all she knew was that it was cheap and went down relatively easily. Even though it smelled absolutely repulsive, the color was golden and the taste was bland. "It's a complicated situation, when you really stop to think about it."

"At the risk of sounding like a complete and total bitch, what would you know?" Weiss asked softly.

Yang glared at her as if she'd grown a second head. "Weiss!"

"It's just a question, Yang."

"Yeah, a stupid one."

Weiss was not willing to back down. Moments together were precious commodities, each one worth its weight in gold. She needed it to mean something of value, and so she decided to grasp onto final opportunities as they presented themselves. "I am tired of walking on eggshells. I want to know the truth right now. While I still have a chance to hear it in person."

"That's not your call to make."

"Are we truly that untrustworthy? Just means to an end? You're her partner, _are_ _you_ satisfied with that?"

The table became tense as Weiss faced Yang down in a heated yet a wordless argument. If looks could kill, both of them would have been goners several times over. Yang was the first to back down. She didn't want to, but she knew she had to. Closing her eyes Yang slumped forward. "She's got a point, Blake."

The Faunus was silent. Old memories and new alike on the tip of her tongue, but they were just too difficult to say. Weiss didn't know what she was asking, none of them did. Blake didn't want to talk about it. She just wanted to forget. She shook her head, mouth sealed shut, the same as always.

"This is exactly the problem." Weiss said, her gaze focused on the Faunus. "You've never once spoken about your family, and whenever we ask, you never say anything. Considering your refusal to even open your mouth, I assumed there were none left to speak of at any length."

Blake shot Weiss a bitter expression. "I have...parents. We're just not very close anymore. Things happened, life went on, I put the past behind me the best that I could. That's it, end of discussion."

Blake cleared her throat, feeling the weight of the three gazes burning into her. One of concern, one of confusion, and one that teetered on the borderline. A forced of sense distance obviously consumed the outsider. It was that final one, directed at her from green orbs that was the most uncomfortable.

"Anyway," Blake pressed, eager to change the topic. "The point I'm trying to make is that we should choose how we want to live. Yang's right about that. However, when something is left to you, it changes things. It's not just about you anymore, it's about the others choosing to entrust you with something."

"It seems as if you've done quite a bit of thinking on the subject," Pyrrha offered with her usual neutrality. Whatever emotion compelled Blake to voice her thoughts on the topic, it was a sore spot. She hesitated to make the matter any more painful than it already seemed to be. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Blake wordlessly shook her head.

"Hey, you good, Blake?" Yang asked then, the only one who could easily do that offhandedly.

Blake nodded. "I'm fine. I thought about it, I made my choice. Like I said, I put the past behind me."

Weiss cleared her throat. "Setting aside the past is all well and good, but what about the future?"

Strangely enough, it was that question that went unanswered as the new beverages graced their table. The switch had been flicked, and Yang decided the air was much too heavy for her liking as she pulled a deck of cards from her wallet. "We're here right now, and we should make the most of it. The future can wait. Time to ante up for some penny poker ladies. You know the rules, first one out pays the tab."

* * *

Copious amounts of alcohol had been consumed by the Schnee heiress, but that didn't seem to stop her from getting up early the next day. The squeaking of a felt-tipped marker upon a calendar ticked off another morning in bright red ink. It was something Weiss did every single day, and it was something Blake grumbled about whenever it woke her up.

The Faunus groaned as she buried herself further under the blankets, ears pinned down to drown out any racket. The soft footfalls of Weiss padding around the room barefoot was as equally distracting as the sounds of sliding drawers. It was obvious that Weiss attempted to be as unobtrusive as possible. It was still too loud for Blake's liking. Once the static noise of papers rustled, and a pen scratched against them, Blake lifted her face from the soft feather pillow.

"Weiss," Blake growled unthinkingly, "it's six in the bloody fucking morning." She instantly regretted the hangover that was stabbing at her forehead. The sensitivity to light and sound wasn't something Weiss could control, and she certainly didn't deserve the foul attitude aimed at her. "I'm sorry, Weiss, that came out wrong."

The white haired woman was already dressed at the absurdly early hour. She spared a glance to Blake before closing her notebook, gathering her things, and switching off the lamp on the desk. Without so much as a peep, she slipped out of the room, securing the door behind her as quietly as possible.

The actions were strange.

Blake expected a snarky remark about responsibility and punctuality. That a routine was not something meant to be broken. Instead, she'd been met with an aloofness that was cold and bitter. Withdrawn without reason to be. Blake chided her own stupidity as she sat up and dragged herself out of bed. Whatever was wrong with Weiss wasn't exactly Blake's concern, but she had obviously upset the woman further by commenting.

She got dressed and headed for the common room, and then the library, but Weiss wasn't in either of those places. Her third option was trying the school roof, but who she found loitering there wasn't Weiss, it was Pyrrha.

"Doesn't anyone ever sleep in this place?" Blake asked as she stepped outside, ignoring the nip in the air to the best of her ability.

"Less and less, it seems." Pyrrha said as she turned to the Faunus, hands stuffed into the pockets of a spring jacket. "You're not usually an early riser, is everything alright?"

"My morning bitchiness strikes again," Blake rumbled under her breath in way of an explanation. "Have you seen Weiss?"

"Before sunrise?" Pyrrha returned incredulously. "Weiss has never been sociable before breakfast time."

"But you do see her wandering around in the mornings. Where does she go?"

"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that."

"Damn."

"Was it a terrible disagreement?"

"You don't bite her head off without her fighting back. Today, she didn't even try, she just left the room."

A soft hum fell from Pyrrha's throat as she scanned the horizon. "If she doesn't want to be found, she would go someplace no one else would think to go at this time of day. It would have to be someplace inconvenient and out of the way. She would also have to like the particular spot. It's a long shot, but the row of pavilions in the gardens may be your best bet."

Blake inwardly cursed. "She wouldn't walk that far so early in the morning, would she?"

A smile was all Pyrrha offered, insightful and laced with humor. "You'd be amazed if I told you the places I've found Ren and Nora before."

"I'll go look then." Blake didn't think Weiss would travel so far, and she expected to come up empty, but she had to try.

There was something in those crystal blue eyes that just bothered her. Blake wasn't sure why, but that same something seemed to be in Pyrrha's eyes, too. The emotion itself eluded Blake. She couldn't quite describe it. It's wasn't just confusion or sadness, and she couldn't attribute it to pensiveness either. It was something else that made Pyrrha's gaze so glassy looking, shimmering in the dim light of the morning.

Green or blue, the owner of the emotional vortex didn't matter. The intensity could swallow Blake whole if she let it.

Her head throbbed, and she growled through the piercing pain. She owed Weiss a better apology. That had to come first. She could spend some more time with Pyrrha later. With her decision made, she headed for the gardens, intent on making things right.

Her senses were on fire. The scent of morning dew touched her nose. It was so distinct, she could almost taste the gentle spring rainfall from the night before. The birds were loudly chirping, squawking, and fluttering around. Amongst all of that, Weiss was difficult to find by usual means, and Blake refused to do anything more than squint in the general direction she was heading. It took her some time to find the painted bench Weiss perched on, sitting under two white magnolia trees.

The woman looked pissed.

Blake sat down, arms crossed as she closed her eyes. "White magnolias depict nobility in a lot of the literature I read…makes sense I'd find you here of all places."

"Better than the lonely willow tree, Belladonna."

"Touché."

"Have you followed me out here for a good reason, or am I merely the continuing victim of your bad mood today?"

"About earlier, I didn't mean that." Blake said quietly. "I had my head up my ass."

Weiss merely shrugged slightly. "I was positive you'd go back to bed."

"And miss out on you avoiding me? Not a chance…but, what were you doing, exactly?"

"Writing to Ruby."

"Oh…"

They sat in the stillness for a long time. Weiss looked ahead, her gaze focused on the rows of flowers ahead of her. When she finally concluded that Blake was waiting for some sort of explanation, Weiss became even quieter. The tapping of her foot along the cobblestone below ceased, her breath became shallow.

"For as articulate as I am, Ruby inspires the worst mannerisms in me," Weis finally said. "She was not what I was expecting in a partner when I came to Beacon. However, in these four years I've decided that Ruby's strange, if not sometimes hyperbolic tendencies suited me well. I believe I could apply that same sentiment to this entire team."

"Huh, really, never would have guessed."

Weiss licked her lips, quiet and tense. "I have exactly one week left before I go back to Atlas, and strangely enough I find myself filled with things I simply must say to her. However, I have no way in which to say them. Everything seems so rehearsed, or, it just doesn't convey what I'd like it to in the first place."

Blake felt like a jerk, her own voice quiet and uneasy enough to reflect that. She hoped Weiss would accept the sincerity. "I didn't think about that...it's getting closer to that time."

"Why would you? As Yang made clear, you'll be a short commute away. For you two, nights like last night could resume on a fairly regular basis, and it would be of no consequence."

"Not very good with goodbyes, are you?"

Weiss turned to Blake. "The concept of saying farewell implies that I have no intention of maintaining contact in some fashion. That's certainly not the case, so no, I don't intend to say it. I'm going back to Atlas, not dying. It can't be difficult to keep in touch with my former teammates."

"Former, Weiss, really...you do suck at saying goodbye."

"Alright, fine, I'm terrible at saying it! I have no desire to do so. Are you satisfied now?"

Blake raised an eyebrow, wisely choosing not to say anything as she rubbed her hands together. The air was cooler than she would have liked, and a small shiver slid down her back as she puffed hot air into her hands. "If that's the way you feel about it, this is about as much as a goodbye from me as you're going to get. I've got no reason to say it, if you actually care that much about keeping in touch. Instead, I'll just say this - don't get killed. If you ever run into any trouble, you call and let us know."

"The same goes double for you, and I'll hold you to that," Weiss shot back, wagging a finger with an annoyed little huff. "Our agreement in our first year still stands. Just because we've graduated doesn't mean you can start hiding things again. The moment you need help, you tell someone. Deal?"

Blake smirked, grasping her friend's finger and shaking it. "Deal…" The glare she received could have frozen hell itself over.

"Must you be completely insufferable?" Weiss chastised as she took Blake's hand fully into her own. "If we're going to shake hands, at least do so properly."

* * *

Parties were held in honor of the graduates. The ceremony wouldn't be for another week. Officially, for the graduating class of students, there wasn't much left to do. Many took this time to finalize their plans and others lazed the days away. For those who decided to take Ozpin up on his offer, however, there were other things that needed to be done.

All students underwent full-bodied physicals once a year as a requirement. They faced re-evaluation after every major injury, illness, and mission deployment that lasted longer than a few days. Ruby was starting to find out that such protocols weren't just for the protection of unprepared students. Those records were used to study the health of hunters sent away for long stretches of time in the wilds. The amount of studying involved in the practice was extensive, and after having a gambit of tests run on her, she was exhausted.

Clad in little more than black shorts, matching sports bra, and running shoes, she nearly doused herself with her bottle of water. The last thing she wanted to do was end up being scrutinized by aura specialists and semblance experts. Still, she gathered with the rest of the huntresses. Some of them she knew, others she didn't. Standing in the group was Glynda Goodwitch, the woman looking equally exhausted.

The tall and leggy blonde was probably forced to deal with the same testing as everyone else.

As one of the newest recruits, Ruby shuffled awkwardly in place, small talk about her uncle was one of the few things she could think about to speak of, but thankfully Glynda humored the conversation for what it was worth. Ruby told the older woman about the fight she had with him, hoping that maybe, she might know how to mend the gap between them.

"After the fight, he just sort of sat there quietly until he sobered up." Ruby finished her tale. "Then he left. I wanted to talk to him, but he won't even pick up his scroll. He does that on missions sometimes. He can't answer for one reason or another, or the call doesn't go through, but what if he's just mad at me?"

Glynda sympathized with the girl. Qrow was bullheaded and opinionated. A man who spent his days away from civilization, and it showed. "Hmm, yes, that's about the reaction I would expect." Her expression was mild as she regarded Ruby. She wasn't entirely sure the girl was cut out for the sort of work Ozpin wanted her to do, but she had always held reservations about Ruby. Those considerations didn't just fade away with age. "From my perspective, your uncle may have a point."

"Yeah, but he can't even tell me why he hates the idea. What kind of point is that?"

"The missions we generally receive are confidential and dangerous." Glynda parroted the well-used phrase. "We aren't at liberty to speak of them at length. Even if we could, it would often put others at risk."

"Well then, that's fine, but he can't really use that as an argument, now can he?"

The tall blonde woman laughed a little at Ruby's candid response. That signature shyness obvious as Ruby dug the tip of her shoe against the asphalt. Yet, there was something else too. A clear and honest determination that didn't subsist purely of false bravado. There was a steel in the girl, always had been as far as Glynda was concerned.

Unfortunately, the same could have been said for Ruby's mother too. That was hardly the justification someone usually used to put a green huntress out into the field. Unless, of course, that someone was Ozpin.

"Well then, allow me to explain what he obviously failed to," Glynda began. "Qrow's perspective is tainted by time and circumstance. He chooses missions based on the likelihood of failure. The higher it is, the more willing he is to take it."

"Why would he do something like that?" Ruby asked, hands clasped behind her back, no weapon to be found. Even the simple comfort of running her fingers along the metal was lost to her in this moment. Fidgeting and needing something to do with her hands, she finally crossed her arms over her chest, but it was hardly a comfort. "Why not take missions that aren't so hard all the time?"

"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that. However, I can say that it's a well-known curiosity in the profession."

"Curiosity?" Ruby murmured, eyes narrowing in confusion.

Glynda nodded sternly. "One that he doesn't talk about, but the statistics don't lie. I have a theory on the matter, but it's hardly proven as factual…"

"Can I still hear it?"

"So long as you understand, this is purely an educated guess on my part. You see, Qrow has a unique set of traits, semblance included. Knowing that, I'd say it's impossible for him to follow the same rules as everyone else."

"You mean, like, the turning into a bird thing?"

Glynda wished it was so easy, but it wasn't. "His unique set of traits make him invaluable to Ozpin. Qrow drinks himself into a stupor every day, but he continues to take missions no one else dares to. I'm still not sure if he's just that good, or simply suicidal. His semblance is to blame for it."

"What is his semblance anyway?"

To keep hydrated, and to stall for a moment to think, Glynda reached for a water bottle. Looking ahead, she saw the obstacle course she would have to gracelessly wade through on her own merits. She wasn't as young as she used to be, and knowing she wouldn't be allowed to use her semblance, she cursed inwardly.

Turning her attention back to Ruby only proved the predicament currently standing beside her. "I only know that he cannot fully control it. He calls himself a bad luck charm. If I had to speculate, he somehow manages to turn the tides of battle to his favor. It's probably why he can survive missions that no one else can. His semblance is rare to find."

"Yeah, but your semblance is hard to find too."

"Telekinetic semblances are rather common. The problem is that it takes a great deal of concentration. Trying to deflect an oncoming attack while also preparing to strike isn't easy. A semblance like mine is normally more useful in other fields, such as construction or medicine."

"Goodwitch, come take your mark!" one of the scientists in charge of the tests called out, signaling that it was her turn to run the gauntlet.

Before she made her departure, she turned to Ruby briefly. "My advice is that if you wish to know more, that you speak to Ozpin directly. Just know that doing so may prove to be a larger headache than you realize..."

* * *

 **AYangThang:** Hey everyone, time for another installment of this monster of a fiction. It's not as long as last chapter, but I hope you all enjoyed it all the same. Anyone who's a fan of the Rooster Teeth series Always Open, the bar scene I had in mind was influenced by the podcast, and I thought, well, why not add a nod to my other favorite Rooster Teeth series. This fiction's acting Beta, **Dongyrn** , kept me sane during this chapter, and the following one.

Chapter 4 is admittedly giving me more trouble than I would like to admit, and I don't yet have a release date planned for it. Just know, it's in the works, and I'm trying to smash through my terrible writer's block as best as I can.


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